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record-breaking crowds to One Arts Plaza
and JM Gallery. The plaza
hosted a phenomenal light installation as part of the Dallas AURORA lights
festival co-founded in 2013 by local artists Shane Pennington and Joshua
King. An estimated 50 thousand people strolled through the Dallas Arts
District, awestruck by the expansive light, sound, performance and new media
event that stretched across the 68-acre district from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. October
16, 2015.

Istanbul artist, Memo Akten’s
installation known as Simple Harmonic Motion was housed in One Arts Plaza,
garnering the attention of passersby and guests dining on the patios of Tei An,Jorge’s
Tex Mex Café, and Proof + Pantry. The vivid light beams perfectly
outlining the perimeter of the plaza’s fountains, shot straight up into the sky
overlapping each other as they met in the moonlight. The dramatic music, a
collection of simple, multilayered rhythms accompanied the neon blue lights.
Viewers were encouraged to play with the lights, waving their hands and arms to
create movement in the installation and disrupt the stiff pattern of the lasers.

One Arts Plaza hosted a “Be Social”
contest for viewers inspired by the brilliant installation with four gift cards
up for grabs, one to each One Arts Plaza restaurant. The four winners were
chosen for their photos of Simple Harmonic Motion uploaded to their Instagram,
Twitter and Facebook accounts using the hashtags #OneArtsMemo and #ArtAtOneArts
and tagging @OneArtsPlaza.

Just a few feet away, JM
Gallery hosted an award reception for its current juried exhibition,
“Illumination,” which features 36 pieces crafted by members of the Texas Sculpture Association. A
panel of three expert judges including Jed
Morse (Chief Curator of Nasher Sculpture Center), Gail Sachson (Art & Seek and Ask Me About Art) and Mark LaRoe (prolific collector and
Managing Director at Deutsche Bank) each selected 12 works submitted by dozens
of artists, making the exhibition an eclectic collection ranging from contemporary
abstract designs to antique masterpieces engineered from repurposed materials.

JM Gallery Owner Michael
Heinlen congratulated all the winners, and with Red Zingari in hand, the
artists continued to mingle with guests and friends, explaining the inspiration
and vision behind each piece. By the end of the evening, three works had been
sold, and a few conversations leading to solo exhibitions were all abuzz.

“Illumination” will be on display now through October 31. All works are available for purchase and can be viewed five days a week. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.